Paul Freeman Introduces, Vol. 6
Virginia Kron (cello), Paul Silverthorne (viola), Czech National Symphony Orchestra, Paul Freeman (conductor)
John Biggs was born in Los Angeles. He received his Master's Degree in composition from the University of California at Los Angeles. He also studied in Belgium. His teachers were Roy Harris, Lukas Foss, Ingolf Dahl, Flor Peeters and Halsey Stevens. As an educator, he has taught at Los Angeles City College, UCLA, UC Berkeley and served as composer-in-residence to six colleges in Kansas under a grant from the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. As a performer he founded the John Biggs Consort, which toured internationally under Columbia Artists Management, specializing in medieval, renaissance and 20th century music. Paul Freeman writes: "I was particularly struck by the similarity of approach between Biggs and that of the Baroque era. His feel for tone color, Orchestration, counterpoint and compositional form in general is indeed very strong. The unusually cheerful brightness of the cello concerto is a good contrast to the more austere and penetrating viola concerto."
Track Listing
| Title | Composer | Performer |
|---|---|---|
| Concerto for Cello and Chamber Orchestra | John Biggs | Czech National Symphony Orchestra; Paul Freeman, conductor; Virginia Kron, cello |
| Concerto for Viola, Woodwinds and Percussion | John Biggs | Czech National Symphony Orchestra; Paul Freeman, conductor; Paul Silverthorne, viola |
| Concerto for Orchestra | John Biggs | Czech National Symphony Orchestra; Paul Freeman, conductor |
Reviews
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"With all due respect to Bach, Handel, and Telemann, ---the most memorable music of the evening--probing intensity---Stravinsky-ish touches yield to lyricism.""It is a modernist essay, tense yet engaging."
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"---innate charm and melodic appeal---". "Its opening idea, a winding melody for flute, is quite haunting and Biggs uses it very skillfully to bind together the work's episodic structure."
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